Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats [A Baking Book]

Description: "An illustrated lifestyle cookbook on the Swedish tradition of fika--a twice-daily coffee break--including recipes for traditional baked goods, information and anecdotes about Swedish coffee culture, and the roots and modern incarnations of this cherished custom. Sweden is one of the world's top coffee consuming nations, and the social coffee break known as fika is a cultural institution. A time to take a rest from work and chat with friends or colleagues over a cup and a sweet treat, fika is part of the national identity and a marker of the Swedish ideal of taking time to appreciate life's small joys. Fika can be had alone or in groups, indoors or outdoors, while traveling or while at home, and Fika is full of inspiration to elevate these daily coffee breaks. In this adorable and illustrated cookbook, Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall share more than 45 classic recipes from their motherland--from cinnamon buns and ginger snaps to rhubarb cordial and rye bread--while also examining what fika means to Swedes and how we can all integrate its values into our daily lives."--

Review Quotes: "The book is a delicious compendium of nearly 50 illustrated recipes inspired by Brones and Kindvall's childhoods, equally fueled by Fika. The cookies, cakes and breads (including savory variants) tap right into a growing, universal quest to achieve a more laid-back European lifestyle."
--Lindsey Tramuta, New York Times T Magazine

"As accessible as it is insightful, Fika is a baking book mixed with etiquette how-to and cultural know-how, iced with a calendar of holidays and expressed as a work of illustrated art. "
--Anne Bramley, Paste Magazine

"Operating as both a noun and a verb, the finer points of the fika are sometimes lost on outsiders--until now. Writer Anna Brones and illustrator Johanna Kindvall compiled the history and practice of the fika along with a collection of recipes for Swedish baked goods in their release "Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break. [...] For those looking to bring fika vibes to their lives, the book is a wealth of Swedish recipes and cooking tips. Swedish classics like kanelbullar (cinnamon buns spiced with cardamom) and hasselnötsflarn (simple cookies best dipped in a fresh cup of coffee) are easily explained and aided by Kindvall's upbeat illustrations. The visual component of the recipes especially comes in handy for more elaborate specialties like lussekatter (saffron buns). Beyond the classic sweet-baked goods associated with fika, the book gives recipes for savory smörgåsbords, jams, drinks and more contemporary recipes like the ultra-rich chokladbollar (chocolate balls that are, admittedly, mostly butter)."
--Hans Aschim, Cool Hunting